Canon PowerShot S80

Reviewed January 2006

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot S80 is without a doubt the most complex camera of the S-series to date, and in particular, its ergonomic design is the most advanced yet.

Still metal-clad in an aluminium magnesium alloy, the new look of the S80 adds a textured area around the shutter release, as well as a glossy black front and slide-back lens cover — which acts as the power switch as it always does with S-series cameras — that look lacquered.

Unlike previous S-series cameras, the S80's 2-stage shutter release is solitary on the top right of the body. A big black button, it is positioned on a slightly raised area with a leather-like texture, but is flush mounted.

When the S80 is connected to a computer, it serves to download images if the computer is running the Canon software supplied with the camera. A small blue LED at the centre of the button lights or blinks blue during any of these operations.

In addition, when the S80 is in a capture mode, the button can be configured to act as a Shortcut to some camera settings.

Using the S80's Main Menu the button can be set to access: the image resolution (the default setting), the white balance, photo effects, AE lock, create a new folder, the frame rate for the movie mode, the My Colours settings , or the AF lock (see the Characteristics section of the review for more information on each of the these menu settings.)

The button to the right also has different functions according to the basic mode of the camera:

In the capture modes, the button cycles through; Single shot Continuous Shooting Mode: shoots as long as there is space on the memory card at approximately 1.8 frames per second, and at the highest resolution and highest image quality, over 20 images can be captured before the camera slows down slightly. Self-Timer: with a delay of either 2 or 10 seconds, or Custom which can be set to have a delay of 0 through 30 seconds and capture 1 to 10 shots, as selected in the Main Menu.

While in the Playback mode — including when the camera shows an image that has just been captured — the button can be used to record a voice annotation up to 60 seconds long that will be associated to the image.

Although equipped with a large LCD monitor, the S80 also includes a very useable optical viewfinder with cross hairs that indicate the main focus area. It is flanked by 2 LEDs, the upper one either green or orange depending on whether or not the flash is in use; and the bottom one yellow, indicating various focus states by being solid or blinking.

At the same level as these buttons, but on the right side of the camera's back edge, the S80 has the zoom control. New both in shape and placement on this model, the control still retains its standard additional functions, as well as controlling the focal length of the lens, Wide , or Telephoto .

In Playback it can be used to magnify an image up to 10 times when pushed towards the top , while pushing the control towards the bottom displays images as thumbnails — an Index view — with 9 pictures shown per screen.

Directly to the right of the zoom control is the Mode Dial, also a new design for an S-series camera, mounted as though on a stalk that protrudes slightly from the right side of the camera. Each of its 10 positions is labelled on the dial's surface and on its periphery, making it easy to both turn and select a mode.

With the monitor active, a turn of the dial is replicated on the screen in the upper right corner by an animation that includes the mode's name.

As usual with Canon cameras, the shooting modes are divided into 2 distinct zones by the Auto mode: the Creative Zone which offers advanced shooting modes, and the Image Zone which encompasses the Scene and Movie modes:

Allows the PowerShot S80 to operate as a point and shoot camera. The camera handles everything when it comes to photographic settings, but lets the user select the image size and quality.

	Program also lets the S80 set the aperture and shutter speed, but leaves the user in charge of all other camera settings, ranging from white balance and ISO sensitivity to exposure compensation and the metering mode. In addition, once the scene is metered if the ISO/AE Lock button is pressed (see further) Program shift becomes available and alternate combinations of apertures and shutter speeds can be selected.
	Shutter Priority gives the user control over the shutter speed while the camera matches the selection to an aperture within its range. Shutter speeds covering from 1/2000 second down to 15 seconds are available.
	Aperture Priority provides the user with the means to select the aperture, thereby giving control over the depth of field in the image, while the camera matches it to a shutter speed. An aperture range of f2.8 through f8 is available when the zoom is at the widest angle, and from f5.3 through f8 at the maximum telephoto.
	Manual allows full control over the camera's aperture and shutter speed, as indicated for the Av and Tv modes, and can assist in deciding if the exposure parameters are correct using a real-time histogram.
	Custom allows configuring a set of preferred camera settings, and saving them to the Custom mode so that they can all be simply turning the Mode Dial to the C setting.

As noted above, the other side of the Auto mode is called the Image Zone and it starts with the SCN setting, the access to the S80's 12 Scene modes which are selected by turning the Multi control dial (see further):

	Portrait Foliage Landscape Snow Night Scene Beach Night Snapshot Fireworks Kids and Pets Underwater Indoor Digital Macro
	My Colours mode makes it possible to alter the colours recorded by the camera using any one of a group of options: Positive Film intensifies the reds, greens and blues. Lighter Skin Tone makes skin tones lighter. Darker Skin Tone makes skin tones darker. Vivid Blue emphasizes blues. Vivid Green emphasizes greens. Vivid Red emphasizes reds. Colour Accent makes it possible to select one colour from all those showing on the monitor, and then capture the scene with all other colours except that one converted to black and white. Colour Swap makes it possible to select a colour, chosen from those showing on the monitor, and swap it for another also chosen from those showing on the monitor. Custom Colour makes it possible to adjust the colour balance freely between red, green, blue and skin tones to obtain subtle effects.
	Stitch Assist designed to capture a series of photos that will be assembled later on a computer using the software included with the S80. Images can be captured from left to right or right to left horizontally; bottom to top or top to bottom vertically; or clockwise starting at the top left.
	Movie mode offers the choice of any one of 4 movie types, all of which record mono sound as well: Standard: can be set to capture either a 640 x 480 pixel frame size, or a 320 x 240 pixel frame size, either of which can be set to 15 or 30 frames per second. The maximum movie size is 1GB and the digital zoom can be used while recording. High Resolution — the first time such a high resolution recording has been offered on a digital camera — captures a 1024 x 768 pixel frame size at 15 frames per second. The maximum movie size is 1 GB, which is used up in approximately 8 minutes. Compact captures a 160 x 120 pixel frame size at either 15 or 30 frames per second for up to 3 minutes, making the movie suitable for sending as an e-mail attachment. My Colours offers the same flexibility as the Standard mode, but adds the possibility of changing the image colours prior to shooting the movie.

All the other external controls on the S80 are on the right side of the LCD monitor, with at the top the button which starts the Playback mode when the camera is already On, and which when pressed and held pressed for a couple of seconds also starts the Playback mode, even if the camera is powered Off.

Next come two buttons that are part of a group of four, designed to fit around the periphery of a rounded, raised area on the back of the S80.

Both of these buttons have dual roles, depending on whether the camera is set to capture or playback. The one on the left is for:

	Available in most capture modes, the AF Frame selector allows selecting the AF area in the frame from almost any part of the frame, or switching back to the 9-point AiAF, the default auto focus mode. Selection of the 1-point AF mode is done by pressing the button, and then rotating the Multi-control Dial (see below).
	And, while in the S80 is in Playback mode or while it is in the Review mode showing an image that has just been captured, the button serves to delete unwanted photos.

While the button on the right controls:

	In the capture modes, the button serves to adjust the Exposure Compensation over a range of ± 2EV in 1/3 EV increments.
	In the Playback mode, the button serves to Jump a series of images. Photos can be jumped in groups of 10, or 100, or by date, or by folder, or to a movie within a group of still images.

The S80 employs a new type of control, a combination joystick and dial that is starting to show up on a number of cameras. Dubbed the Multi-control Dial by Canon, the control combines the function of the Omni selector — a 4-direction control — on earlier models with those of a Command Dial. The result is a control that can be pressed at each of its cardinal points, and also rotated. For instance, menu selections are achieved by pressing it like any other 4-direction control, while functions such as selecting an aperture, shutter speed, focus mode, and even a sub mode such as one of the movie types are done by turning the dial to one side or the other.

In the middle of the Multi-control Dial, the FUNC./SET button remains, as on earlier models of the S-series. The button calls up the Function menu, a special menu that regroups the most often used settings (see the Characteristics section of the review for more information about the Function menu) and also serves to confirm some choices in the Main menu.

As noted above, the new Multi-control Dial can be pressed at its four cardinal positions. With the camera set to a capture mode, each of the four directions also serves to access specific settings:

ISO	Selects the CCD sensitivity, stepping through settings as the button is pressed: 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO. In addition, with the focus locked by pressing and holding the shutter release halfway, the ISO button serves as the AE (Auto Exposure) Lock. And, if the flash is forced on, the ISO button will lock the flash exposure (FE-Lock).
	The right arrow serves to select the Flash mode: Auto, Forced On, Forced Off. If needed, Red-eye reduction, or Slow Synch at the first or second curtain, must first be enabled in the Recording menu.
MF	Starts the Manual Focus mode, which both displays a distance scale on the monitor and magnifies the central portion of the image to assist in focusing. The Dial portion of the Multi-control Dial is used to focus.
	Starts the Macro mode, allowing the camera to focus on a subject that is 4 cm (1.6 inch) from the front element of the lens when the zoom is at the widest angle, and 30 cm (11.8 inches) when the zoom is at the maximum telephoto setting.

Below the Multi-control Dial, two other buttons complete the external controls of the S80:

In Playback, the button also controls the information superimposed on the monitor. Two levels of information can be shown, one that indicates the image's position within those contained in the folder, the image size and compression, the time and date, and the image's file name. The other is much more elaborate, shows the image as a large thumbnail with the shooting data on the right, and the image's histogram below. Moreover, if parts of the image are potentially overexposed, the camera displays those area as flashing in the thumbnail.

The ergonomic design of the S80 is a departure from what had become standard for Canon's S-series cameras. The large LCD monitor, the new design for the mode dial, the new layout for the controls, and the new multi-control dial, all clearly set the S80 apart from its predecessors. While all are positive improvements, the multi-control dial turns out to be an excellent tool in some cases, and less so in others as the combination of 4-direction control and dial is not always as precise as it should be.